Ticket here, and welcome back to "Man versus Machine." In this chapter we'll dive into the characters, get a little camp life, and look at some perspectives of people in the game. Also, there's a reward challenge early into the season, shocking I know, that will boost one tribes spirit and hurt another's.

That being said, enjoy!

Man: Brandon, Chun-Li, Daisy, Drax, Nabbit, Rick, Sackboy, and Ulala

Machine: Clank, Cyrax, Dark Samus, Megatron, Mighty Gazelle, Monty, Rocket, Sektor, Silver Sonic

Seventeen players are left. Who will survive, and who will be voted out next?

Man

Night 3

Brandon, Chun-Li, Daisy, Drax, Nabbit, Rick, Sackboy, and Ulala

The eight arrive at camp and lean their torches on a tree. Peace falls over the island.

"Everyone ok?" Rick asks, looking to get some insight on how the others feel.

"Could be better. I'll be over it tomorrow…just glad that boy's gone." Ulala responds.

"You said it!" Daisy exclaims, backing her.

Rick walks past Chun and takes his jacket off. Speaking of, the street fighter's tending to the fire, and is doing a rather good job and starting one. From the looks of it, nobody should go into fire making against her unless they've got that skill locked down.

Chun-Li: Porky didn't do much for the tribe. I know that can come off as mean but it's the truth. We need to start winning, and it was clear from day two that he wasn't going to benefit us. What he, and others on this tribe needs is more maturity. If he had that, then he could still be here. If we have that, we can win.

First Porky's words about Ulala were spread across the tribe, then he slacked off in the challenge. That was the death nail, his arguments afterward didn't do that kid any favors at all.

Not everyone is over last night. Porky came at those who threw him under the bus like Brandon, who believes he's got a spotlight on himself he doesn't need. He and Nabbit go somewhere more private for a quick discussion.

"Call me crazy but that kid sent us right to tha bottom." Brandon thinks.

"Everyone seems fine with us."

"Porky made us look like conniving little rats, we're gonna be in hot water if we lose again…all cause a' that boy." Brandon replies. "Let's..just not make a scene. They don't need more reasons to come for us."

"Don't worry, I won't." Nabbit states.

"Me neither."

Brandon: I'm not gonna cry about it, but if Porky Munch kills my game, it's gonna be hard not too.

While those two talk, back at the main section of camp, Drax has some questions for his team..minus Brandon and Nabbit who are on their way back.

"Was there any doubt I'd be leaving?" Drax asks.

"No not really." Daisy admits. "The only reason anyone would vote you is cause of…yeah you know."

"In that case.." Drax kneels down to Sackboy, but scoots backwards. The height difference is imposing. "I am sorry little one. It was a stupid decision. I did not mean to hurt you in any way. Can we move past this for the better of our team?" The destroyer offers his hand.

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The sack reaches his hand out, and the two shake on it. "Awww…" The visual's hitting Sarasaland's Princess. The first tender moment for this tribe, and honestly much needed to boost morale a bit.

Daisy: Yep, we made the right call!

Cut to Drax's confession.

Drax: People tell me that at times I am unaware, but that sack deserved an apology. He may not be able to talk yet, but he's too adorable to bully.

Man

Day 4

Brandon, Chun-Li, Daisy, Drax, Nabbit, Rick, Sackboy, and Ulala

The drama of the tribe seems to be gone. For now at least. Everyone's just chilling around the burnt up firewood. Although, there's still room for some fun, cause Sackboy's in his cosplaying era.

"Me next!" Ulala shouts, and the sack just freezes…then pink hair grows on his head and an orange bikin shows up on his body…Drax acts like this is comedy gold and guffaws.

"Oh my gosh! Literally me!" Ulala shouts. What she and the others didn't know, is that Sackboy can change to whichever character he feels like back at his little big planet.

"The sack is humorous." Hearing comment, the sacks skin immediately goes grey, and red markings appear on him! Ulala's clothing is gone, and Drax just stares in awe. "Shapeshifter."

The sack shrugs.

"Teach me."

That makes everyone chuckle.

Ulala: I'm cherishing every good moment we have. Its all i can do before we come back angry again.

Cut to Sackboy's confessional where he's normal at first. Then a camera pops into his hand, and he aims it at production.

Camera: ….

His mimic business could do well. Nobody really seems scared by him. But this game can flip with a snap of a finger.

Anyways, the sack's morphed into a redhead a yellow dress. He does a very feminine strut as his tribe laughs. The sack's having a good time, as is mostly everyone.

Daisy: Did you SEE that strut? It was so powerful!

Machine

Day 4

Clank, Cyrax, Dark Samus, Megatron, Mighty Gazelle, Monty, Rocket, Sektor, and Silver Sonic

While that goes down on the other tribe, Sektor and Megatron are taking turns with the machete. Bamboo's being torn up left and right to make for the perfect camp.

Sektor chops into the bamboo, and feels curious. "You've been hostile towards the humans ever since we got here. Not even one compliment towards them. Any reason why?" he asks, ripping the band-aid off.

Megatron holds his hand out for the machete, and Sektor hands it over. "Humanity in the modern day doesn't have the killer instinct to take what they want. Too weak. They constantly complain about oppression but can never seem to get on the same page and stop it." He says, slicing that bamboo in half.

"I don't disagree. But game-wise…"

"Machines like me are the next step in evolution. If we lose to people who will rely on us, how will that make us look? Useless. My people didn't suffer this long just to come up short." Megatron chops into another bamboo, and hands the machete over to the Lin Kuei.

"It seems to be for the greater good. My clan thinks the same way. We initiated the cyber initiative. In order to be more efficient in our missions, we transformed from man to machine. Now we're stronger than we ever were." Sektor explains. "Teleportation, projectiles, any abilities you can think of."

It clicks for the Decepticon. "Are you pursuing the money to fund your clan?"

"Much like you are, to aid your people. There has to be an economy somewhere. Why else would you compete?" Sektor questions.

"It's what drove me to come here. The winnings will go towards this new economy I strive to build. I have more faith in myself than the last." Lore drop? "I was a mere farmer, but when Cybertron was in ruin I needed to rebel before it was tarnished forever."

It starts making sense to the red. "Ah, you did what humanity can't seem to."

"They're lying to themselves. Want to pretend they're in a perfect paradise. Optimism isn't evil but it's certainly a weakness. It blinds people to the reality of their situation." Megatron admits. "If I convinced myself Cybertron was perfect, there would be no Decepticons."

Eye opening for the Cyber Lin Kuei member.

Sektor: We see eye to eye strategically, but when he stated how he felt personally, I knew we would be a good match.

Sektor seems to agree. "I share your sentiment. Without the Cyber Lin Kuei, our clan would be worse off."

"Your clan's just evolved with the times."

Megatron: I stand by what I said. When you want something, take it. When you have an idea, act on it. That's the Achilles heel of these humans, they hesitate, and when you hesitate against me, that's what's going to get me the win.

Elsewhere in Borneo, Clank and Rocket have coconuts in hand. Curiosity is on Clank's mind as he looks the raccoon up and down.

"If you don't mind me saying…you look more like an animal than a machine." Clank says.

Yet Rocket isn't phased. "Not a fun story. Sure you wanna hear it?"

"I would like to get to know you more…"

Rocket sighs. "Basically this $$hat named God Complex experimented on animals. I was one of the first. Those were dark years in my life. So long story short, he used me for my abilities, and pretended like he was my dad. A pathetic excuse of a 'parent' honestly." The backstories aren't holding back.

"Are..are you ok now? It's not normal to casually drop this information."

"Eh doesn't matter, he got his comeuppance. Instead of serving douchebags, I save the world from 'em." Rocket catches Clank's stare. "You asked."

"Well your mood shifted the moment I asked you. It's okay if you need to let anything out."

"Like I said, I'm over it. It's also just too long to talk about, the game would be over and we'd still be talking about it."

The robot decides to add onto their talk. "Well it seems we have more in common than I thought. You aren't the only one who had to break from your mission. Our creators are different, however our original purposes were the same. Glad to see we could both break that cruel chain."

"Hell yeah. Was your creator's name 'High Devolutionary'? Or is that just me?"

"Incorrect. His name's Orvus."

"What's his deal?"

"I was destined to be a blarg working for evil people. The blarg are a hostile species from the Solona Galaxy. Have you been there yet?" Clank asks.

"Doesn't sound like any Galaxy I've been to."

"Be glad you haven't, I consider it a wasteland." Clank warns. "But with his influence, and my escape, we made sure that I wasn't a mindless minion. Later on I met Ratchet, and you two look awfully familiar…you have too many similarities actually."

"Like?"

"You're both furry, you have similar names, and there's the carefree attitude." Clank explains. "Not to intrude, but I saw a wrench in your bag. He has a knack for his tools."

"Is he a mechanic?"

"He fixes ships as a past-time."

"Really? Take me to him."

Rocket: Clank sounds like your average goody-two shoes, but he'll hear you out. We aren't puppets for someone to play with, and if you try? Ya done.

Eventually, the conversation circles back to strategy. Keeping in mind what they just talked about, the machine being discussed has made waves to them.

Rocket's taking the lead. "If we're talkin' tyrants, Megatron's lookin' like another one. He can preach all he wants but I'm not joining Evilution. People weak, blah blah blah…"

"The hatred for humanity is annoying. We did win but he keeps rambling about it." Clank admits.

"Thank god we're not in a cult."

"I am thankful to our lord."

Clank: Megatron's agenda is clear, but there is more to this than domination. Our tribe won't stay together forever, we'll have to work with humanity eventually. The only question is..when?

Reward Challenge

Day 4

"Come on in!"

The Machines enter the challenge area, spotting Jeff in his blue polo and khakis.

"Welcome back, machines. Before we begin, get a look at the new Man tribe…"

The eight reps enter and the winning team sees no Porky. "Porky voted out last Tribal Council…" It comes as a shock to absolutely nobody.

Silver Sonic: Every wins vital. If we cannot keep this streak going, I'll be joining that boy at the land known as Ponderosa.

The tribe comes to a stop, and Jeff kicks this challenge off. "Alright, rewards up for grabs. For today's challenge, one player is going to use sandbags to knock blocks off a ledge. The same player will then walk on two of the blocks and get to the finish. Then seven others will each throw one bag onto a hanging disc with their name on it. First tribe to finish wins reward."

The rules are clear, but what about the reward?

"You will be playing for a trip to our Survivor coffee shop. You'll need to get fuel anytime you have the chance." Yep! "Now, machines….you've gotta sit someone out. Who will it be?"

Clank steps up. "My faith is in my team."

"Ok, head to the Sitout bench."

The bot heads to the bench and takes a seat.

"I'll give you a moment to prepare, and we'll get started."

Chun-Li and Cyrax are starting out for their tribes.

"Here we go, for reward. Survivors ready?"

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"GO!"

The two dig into the sandbag basket and hurl away at those blocks. Chun's got more blocks knocked over from her fast pace, but Cyrax has three bags in hand…

In a few throws, a majority's already gone!

"…what?" Drax asks.

"Chun's got speed, but he's got accuracy."

Sektor's probably smiling on the inside.

Sektor: Thanks to our advancements, we can get the accuracy we need. When it comes to these sandbags, my friend has an unfair advantage. From personal experience, he has great aim. That's what makes him so skilled.

Chin grabs two bags and throws them at the same time…and there's only ONE block left! Cyrax makes another throw..he's got one block left!

"We're dead even!" Jeff shouts.

They knock their last blocks off the the same time! Great picks from the tribes.

"You're both good, all you've gotta do now is maneuver over those bumps, with two blocks beneath you."

The two hop on their blocks and take their time getting to that first lump.

Drax yawns. "This is slow."

"Speed isn't their friend." Rick comments, which is true considering that rushing could cause one of them to slip and take away precious time.

After some time, Chun and Cyrax get close to the end. They are passing through this with absolute finesse. Walking on blocks must be nothing compared to what they've had to do.

Chun BARELY reaches the finish first, but Cyrax hits the finish immediately after! The tribes scramble, minus Chun, Cyrax, and Clank, to set up their shot…

Dark Samus lands her bag for the machines!

Daisy lands her bag!

Sektor lands his bag!

Ulala lands her bag!

Megatron lands his bag!

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Brandon misses. "Ah sh*t."

"Just keep going!" Daisy encourages, but it doesn't amount to much because that one fail allows Monty to get the lead for the machines! Brandon takes another shot and actually gets it this time!

"That was a fatal blow." Jeff comments.

"Thanks for noticing."

"Brandon, not a fan of me."

Drax lands his shot.

Rocket lands his.

Rick lands his.

Silver Sonic lands his.

It comes down to Nabbit and Gazelle. It's been close, and this last shot will win it all. Who will take it?

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Nabbit underthrows, and Gazelle lands his! Jeff throws those hands up, shouting:

"MACHINES WIN REWARD!"

The machines clap for themselves, as Clank rushes over to join his team. It's (some) smiles and straight faces all around for that team. As for the Man tribe, it's a little sour once again.

"Nice try guys…" Ulala says, trying to be upbeat. It's not working.

Ulala: Yeeeeaah..this one's gonna sting.

The two tribes settle down, and Jeff let's them know what's next. "Machines, a boat will pick you up tomorrow and take you to the shop. Head back to camp, enjoy your reward." The full house leaves the challenge area, looking forward to that sweet reward tomorrow.

That just leaves the losers. "As for the eight of you…I've got nothin' for ya. Head back to camp, I'll see you at the immunity challenge." he closes. The eight are dismissed and leave the area as well. They've got no choice but to resort to rice, coconuts, and maybe even sand.

A shot of the nine machines pops up, and the next confessional goes to the gator on the team.

Monty: Mmm mmm MMM! Nothin' like good food! It's our second dub in a row, and this is basically my third. That ginger didn't stand a chance hehe. Let's shoot for four!

Alright, so that challenge was actually pretty close, but some bad shots cost one tribe. At least both tribes are physically capable in a way. As for what's going on outside the challenges, there are developments after the first three days. For developments on Man, Brandon's expressed his concerns with Nabbit about Porky hurting their games. Whether his worries are valid or not are up to you.

Perspectives are clashing on Machine, but not in a strategic way at all. It's all personal. Megatron's views on humanity being weak is a bummer, and Sektor's reveal about his clans enhancements may not help at all. Rocket doesn't care if humanity's weak or not, cause he knows the people preaching that can be even worse. Clank even seems to understand, as he's making that connection with the raccoon. It didn't take long for a divide within the machines.

The reward will have a little strategy and (probably) a couple character moments. Ticket out, have a good one!